Thanksgiving (15 resources)

Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth

Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth

Classroom

This guide provides history of the Wampanoags' contact with European immigrants and perspectives on contemporary celebrations, and includes topics for classroom discussions.

Cranberry Day: Traditional Harvest Festivals

Cranberry Day: Traditional Harvest Festivals

Video

Harvest ceremonies and festivals have been an integral part of Wampanoag lifeways for thousands of years. Learn the significance of Cranberry Day for Wampanoag communities as they continue cultural traditions and relationships with their homeland today.

Do American Indians Celebrate Thanksgiving?

Do American Indians Celebrate Thanksgiving?

Blog

How do Native Americans make peace with a national holiday that romanticizes the 1621 encounter between their ancestors and English settlers, and erases the deadly conflicts that followed?

How an Unremarkable "Brunch in the Forest" Turned Into the Thanksgiving We Know

How an Unremarkable "Brunch in the Forest" Turned Into the Thanksgiving We Know

Article

Smithsonian Magazine and Smithsonian Sidedoor podcast investigate the origins of the Thanksgiving story.

American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving

American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving

Classroom

Developed for educators and students grades 4–8, this teaching poster examines the deeper meaning of the Thanksgiving holiday for American Indians.

The Invention of Thanksgiving

The Invention of Thanksgiving

Video

In this video from the exhibition "Americans," curator Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche) discusses how the myths of Thanksgiving developed and what they mean in American culture.

Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving

Rethinking Thanksgiving Celebrations: Native Perspectives on Thanksgiving

Classroom

This guide for teachers helps address incomplete narratives surrounding Thanksgiving, and includes culturally sensitive activities and resources.

Five Ideas to Change Teaching about Thanksgiving in Classrooms and at Home

Five Ideas to Change Teaching about Thanksgiving in Classrooms and at Home

Blog

Parent and museum educator Renée Gokey (Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma) shares strategies for teaching about Thanksgiving and introducing students to more meaningful content about Native Americans during Native American Heritage Month and throughout the year.

Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective

Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective

Blog

Native American Cultures and Clothing: Native American Is Not a Costume

Native American Cultures and Clothing: Native American Is Not a Costume

Classroom

This guide explores Indigenous clothing traditions, addresses the use of "Native" costumes in and out of the classroom, and provides culturally sensitive activities and resources related to Native clothing.

Symposium—A Conversation about "Americans"

Symposium—A Conversation about "Americans"

Video
"Americans" exhibition curators and the National Museum of the American Indian director share perspectives on this exhibition that explores how American Indians have shaped US history and national consciousness and contemporary life.

Everyone's history matters: The Wampanoag Indian Thanksgiving story deserves to be known

Everyone's history matters: The Wampanoag Indian Thanksgiving story deserves to be known

Blog

The Thanksgiving story deeply rooted in America’s school curriculum frames the Pilgrims as the main characters and reduces the Wampanoag Indians to supporting roles. It also erases a monumentally sad history. The true history of Thanksgiving begins with the Indians.

"Words Spoken Before All Others," the Ohenten Kariwatekwen or Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

"Words Spoken Before All Others," the Ohenten Kariwatekwen or Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

Blog
The Haudenosaunee nations—the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora—traditionally open and close every important gathering with a version of the Ohenten Kariwatekwen, often called the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address.

If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving' by Chris Newell Exposes New Truths About a Major American Holiday

If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving' by Chris Newell Exposes New Truths About a Major American Holiday

Blog

Seven Native American Chefs Share Thanksgiving Recipes

Seven Native American Chefs Share Thanksgiving Recipes

Blog

Thanksgiving ceremonies have always taken place whenever Native people have gathered, and food and feasts often serve as a focal point. Native chefs Javier Kaulaity, Clayton Jones, Justin Pioche, Elena Terry, Brian Pekah, Monie Horsechief, and Anthony Warrior share recipes inspired by Native American foods and techniques.